A Hero Can Save Us
by abbeyrose92
Summary: After being left the the day of her wedding, Abbey runs away from Indiana in search of meaning to San Diego, California, where she's introduced to the world of Comic-con and she meets Milo. When fate brings the unlikely pair together repeatedly, both agree that they were supposed to meet as they grow closer and learn a bit about themselves. Milo Ventimiglia/Original Fem. Character
1. Rusted Anchors

Lawrenceburg, Indiana  
July 11, 2015  
12:35 PM

He just didn't show up, no phone call, not even a letter. I know naturally you'd imagine a bride standing at the alter looking out upon her friends and family realizing that the person they thought they were going to spend their life with changed their mind about them. I never made it out of the dressing room before I knew.  
I sat staring at myself in the mirror, swiping the mascara stains on my cheeks with a tissue when there was a knock at the door.  
"Come in," a raspy, bitter voice I vaguely recognized as my own said. The door opened to reveal Autumn, the only friend I've ever known, wearing a stern yet disappointed look on her face.  
"I just spoke to the preacher or whatever, he said we can wait another half an hour, then we'll have to leave there's another wedding at two," she told me, as I had expected.  
"Tell him not to bother, I'm not waiting another minute," I shouted, my rage echoing in the small room, "I'm gone." I gathered the bottom of my dress in my hands, kicking off the $150 dollar heels that were nothing but a reminder of my abandonment. I pushed past Autumn, out of the dressing room and headed towards the back exit. How could I face my family? I could imagine the scrutiny on their faces, the pity I could not handle.  
"Where will you go?" Autumn called behind me.  
"Anywhere but here, who cares?!" I nearly shrieked as I shoved my way through the door.  
I ran toward the nearest refuge I knew, my greyish-green Buick. I slid into the driver seat and closed the door before throwing my hands to my face and sobbing for a few minutes until it felt pointless and my eyes filmed over with tears. I looked around. 'Lawrenceburg,' I thought with spite, 'I've got to get out of here... I'm going to get out of here... Now.'  
There was a tap on the driver side window. I quickly wiped my tears away before daring to see who it was. Autumn stood broodingly, holding my keys in her hand. I opened the door and sniffled, "Thanks," before taking them from her hands.  
"I know you're in a lot of pain right now, but please don't do anything drastic," Autumn all but begged, her eyes swimming with tears.  
"Look," I told her feigning strength, "I know you're trying to help but I've got to go on my own. I'm not the same person anymore, I feel half alive."  
"You've always been there, why can't I be there for you?" she demanded fairly, her cheeks turning pink from frustration.  
"Because," I sobbed, "if this wasn't meant to be then nothing in my life is. I loved him!" A look of resign spread over her face slowly.  
"So, I can't change your mind?" she asked slumping against the Buick as if she knew the answer before she spoke.  
"I couldn't change my own mind if I wanted to," I told her honestly, staring into her eyes, as if that simple communication would make her understand.  
She sighed deeply, standing straighter, searching my face for answers.  
"Where will you go?" she asked, her voice a dull blade against my eardrums. I bit my lip, staring beyond her, losing myself in thought for a moment, before she nudged me with her elbow, gently. I looked into the face of the one person who had never abandoned me.  
"Honestly, I don't know," I admitted with a sigh, fresh tears threatening to impose, "but all I know is, I can't stay here, there's nothing keeping me here anymore, I can't stay for you because I wouldn't expect you to do it for me. You have a beautiful kid who's growing up so fast, you have anchors. Looks like the chains of my last anchor have rusted and snapped."  
Tears began streaming down her cheeks and I realized we never really said good-bye, not when she moved away so long ago, not when I metaphorically dropped off the face of the Earth, this was the real good-bye and I barely knew it. I threw my arms around her, hugging her tightly.  
"You have been and always will be my best friend," I cried into her shoulder, feeling absently guilty for the tear stains on her dress.  
"I know," she said simply, "do what you have to do." I pulled away from her, slowly.  
"I have to go," I told her rubbing away tears with my fist, "I'm sorry."  
"Be safe," she whispered before closing the driver door to the Buick.  
As I pulled away, I watched her from the rear view mirror, wondering if we would ever see each other again. After that, I just drove for hours, away from the hell hole that held on to me for far too long. When I finally decided I had to stop, I found myself somewhere deep in Ohio. I stopped at an ATM and withdrew the $3,000 dollars I had to my name, before heading to a nearby Motel 6 to plan my next move before most likely crying myself to sleep.  
As I walked into the lobby, I realized I must have look both absurd and pitiful, my hair a mess, make up smeared, a wedding dress and no shoes. As I approached the front desk, as if to verify my theory, the woman behind the counter asked with a doe-eyed look, "Oh, sweetie, are you okay?"  
"I just need a room, please," I said in a shockingly calm voice that appeared to startle the woman behind the desk. We exchange money and keys before I slipped away to my room.  
I had one change of clothes, which was a relief because I couldn't stand another reminder. After changing, I slipped under the itchy motel blankets and turned on the tv. It was garbage, all of it. It was nothing but white noise to me, background to my pathetic thoughts. Suddenly, I heard a recycled commercial, I'd heard hundreds of times, riddled with names and faces I couldn't care to identify, but the message gave me pause.  
"People have a lot of misconceptions about California, but none of them are really true. None of them. They think we're all surfers, or celebrities. That we're all into yoga, and that everyone owns a winery or a skateboard and that we all drive convertibles, where do they get these ideas? Like how we all live in bikinis and live like rock stars. You want to know the truth about California? Get out here, we'll show you how we roll."  
I sat up quickly, I knew what I had to do. I pulled a phone book from the side table drawer and found a number for the closest airport.  
"Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, this is Debra speaking, how may I assist you?" a voice asked through the phone.  
"Hi, Debra, my name is Abbey Frank and I'd like to book the next flight to Los Angeles, California, please."


	2. A Glance at Freedom

Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport  
July 12, 2015  
8:30 AM

I dragged my dollar store luggage through airport security with the worst headache I think I'd ever had. Traffic had been horrific on the way to the airport, leaving me barely enough time to stop and buy some jeans and a T-shirt, not to mention the 20 minutes I waited in line for my boarding pass and the overly invasive body check courtesy of airport security guards. By the time I arrived at the waiting area, I was ready to give up on this ridiculous trip before I begrudgingly remembered I had nothing to go back to.  
With a half an hour remaining until I had to board, I walked to the nearest Barnes and Noble to browse. Eventually, I found myself in the comic book aisle, my eyes fell upon the new edition of Berserker. 'Milo,' I thought with a small smile as I picked it up, reading an advertisement for Comic-con 2015 on the back. It read, 'Comic-con 2015, San Diego, CA, July 13-16.' 'Just my luck, it's over 100 miles away from L.A.,' I thought as I brought the comic to the counter.  
Behind the counter a grungy hipster type took Berserker from my hands before grinning oddly at me.  
"Berserker is fucking awesome," he semi-wheezed at me, "Milo Ventimiglia is genius."  
"We agree upon that," I told him with a smile, "Heroes was like my favorite TV show." At this he frowned and finally cut to the chase and rang it up.  
"That'll be $11.50," he told me placing the comic in a bag. 'That's practically thievery,' I thought, coughing up the cash, 'I hope I still have enough to rent a car. I can't miss Comic-con or else what the hell's the point of flying halfway across the country?'  
"Now boarding flight 815 to Los Angeles, California," a woman announced over a P.A. system.  
"Shit that's me," I gasped grabbing my bag and taking off running toward my gate. I reached it a minute or two, sweating and panting. 'I've got to quit smoking,' I thought as I handed the steward my boarding pass. As I took my seat on the plane it occurred to me I mostly likely should have bought an actual book, since I had a four and half hour flight ahead of me. 'Well, I'm fucked now,' I thought with a shrug as I peeled the plastic of my new comic.

Four Hours and Twenty Minutes Later

"The pilot has turned on the 'Fasten Seat belt sign," said the flight attendant over the intercom, dragging me from a wonderful dream about having super strength. I wiped some drool from lips before buckling myself in. My ears popped painfully as we descended to LAX. 'I should've know better than to fall asleep,' I admonished myself silently. As we landed, I stared out the window upon the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen, from the air the Hollywood hills were visible, mountains in the distance took my breath away, Indiana was incomparable.

Los Angeles, California  
10:00 AM

Once inside LAX, I felt overwhelmed, I was surrounded by more people than I'd ever seen at once. The first thing I did was check my bank account, for my severance pay from the Museum and happily withdrew an additional $1,500. It had been easy to quit my job at the Museum, after all, I was a glorified tour guide, I had a associate degree in Liberal Arts for Pete's sake, I had never imagined spending my life describing others' art instead of creating my own.  
I rented a Saturn with plenty of cash left. For the first few hours I drove around, admiring the beauty that surrounded me and sometimes grimacing at the misfortune of others. California was running rampant with people who needed help. Eventually, I stopped at a truck stop and picked up a map and pack of smokes. As I mapped out my journey to San Diego, it hit me just how much my life had changed in just one day, once again tears made my vision glisten over and at that moment 'Linger' by The Cranberries began on the radio. I dropped the map and leaned the steering wheel as tears forcefully flowed down my cheeks.  
When the song finished, I forced myself to put the pieces back together and lit a cigarette to calm my nerves. As I inhaled smoke, I felt myself level out and found the strength to move on, physically that it is. Finally, I pulled out from the truck stop following instruction from the map.

San Diego, California  
12:43 PM

I found it strange how in California you can travel 120 miles in 2 hours when in Indiana it take 30 minutes just to drive 25 miles. As I drove up to the San Diego Convention Center, I knew I had arrived. As I drove into a parking garage, I looked around in awe, I was surrounded by characters anywhere from Star Wars to Adventure Time. For the first time in two days, I genuinely smiled. This was where I belonged.


	3. Then There Was You

San Diego Convention Center  
1:30 PM

Just when I thought I could never have been surrounded by more people than I had been at LAX, after paying $150 for a four day pass, I found proof that I was wrong as I walked towards the the Marriott. Comic-con had yet to start and still the streets were filled with super heroes and cartoon characters excited to get inside with hours and hours left before the doors even opened.  
After paying a huge fee for a hotel room, I rode the elevator with subtle terror to the 8th floor, they always had made me paranoid. When I made my way inside the room, I gasped, nearly dropping my luggage. The view out the window looked down upon a beautiful marina, the waters glistening in the sunlight above, boats like specks in the distance. It was the first time I'd ever seen the ocean. Suddenly, I felt very small.  
For awhile I stood unmoving at the window transfixed by the fresh wonders that laid beyond the window, when my stomach growled audibly and I realized I hadn't eaten since breakfast with Autumn the morning before. 'The morning of my wedding,' I thought with a pang. I left the room and reluctantly took the elevator down to the lobby.  
I walked down the marina and quickly found Marina Kitchen. I then waited about 20 minutes before I was finally seated. I was surprised to find the menu was extremely health food oriented and eventually ordered scrambled eggs with bacon. I scarfed it down quickly my hunger taking over. After paying the pricey check and leaving what I thought was a reasonable tip, I continued down the marina before finding myself eventually taking a seat at the end of the harbor. I took off my flimsy flip flops and attempted to dip my toes in the water but found my legs were a bit to short. I allowed it's beauty to wash over me as I lit a cigarette.  
That evening I found myself walking the streets surrounding the convention center, taking in ever detail, appreciating every costume, every building and the first California sunset I'd ever seen. I stood hypnotized, the sky filled with reds, oranges, dark blues and purples in a way that I had only ever imagined.  
Eventually, I made my way at Seaport Village which was remarkably a large shopping center, I found a general store and bought a post card with a picture of the marina and the ocean beyond it. I filled Autumn's address in the blanks and wrote this message:  
"Autumn, I've made my way to San Diego for Comic-con. It's so beautiful here, even under the circumstances I'm enraptured by it all. I feel free here. I don't know when I'll be back, but I know I have to see this through. Sending my love - Abbey"  
When I made it back to the Marriott, I asked the man at the front desk if he could send it out for me. When I made it to my room, I ordered a bottle of wine and attached my iPod to it's dock. The room filled with Fiona Apple's 'Shadow Boxer.' When the wine arrived I uncorked it and took a swig straight from the bottle, wincing at the taste. That night I listened to the entirety of Fiona's Tidal, singing at the top of my lungs, before drifting off, bottle of wine still in my hand.

The Next Morning

I woke with a start to 'Criminal' blasting from the iPod dock. The clock on the wall read 8:50 AM. I grumbled and reached over to shut off the iPod, before dragging myself out of bed toward the bathroom. I peeled my clothes off, then accidentally turning the shower burning hot while I stood beneath the shower head. I cursed before turning it down slightly and washing the alcohol sweat off of my body and hair. I grabbed another hanes T-shirt from my luggage and begrudgingly a too tight pair of cheaply made jeans. I shoved my iPod in my pocket and quickly grabbed my pass and my book bag.  
When I made it to the convention center, the line was three blocks long, I heaved a huge sigh and began toward the end of the line as I put my headphones in my ears. I absently began skipping through the songs, my eyes on my feet as I passed hundreds of fan boys and girls and comic book geeks alike. Hearing the first opening notes of 'Oh Love' by Green Day, I, as a reflex looked at my iPod before slamming right into another person walking the opposite direction.  
My headphone ripped out of my ears as I fell on my ass and dropped my iPod, asphalt scratching my palms.  
"I am so sorry," said an oddly familiar voice, "let me help you up." I wiped the dirt off my hands before looking up. Before me stood a man with short dark hair, greying just a bit at the temples, his forehead crinkled with concern. I gasped as he pulled me to my feet. He grabbed my iPod off the ground, "Green Day, huh?" I nodded quickly.  
"You okay?" He asked staring me in the face, his hazel eyes sparkling in the morning sun.  
"T-totally," I stuttered as he handed my iPod back to me.  
"See you later," he said with a crooked smile, before giving me a parting pat on the shoulder.  
Like a ton of bricks it hit me. I glanced over my shoulder before unzipping my duffel bag to Berserker, I grabbed it, flipping it over to a small photo of the same man I had just collided with. Milo.


	4. Fate? Destiny? Or Coincidence?

San Diego, California  
Comic-con  
10:30 AM

I still wore an incredulous smile as I finally reached the entrance. Three steps inside and I stopped gazing around the three story convention center in awe, it was the stuff of fantasy: Cosplayers, Trekkie's, Furries and Comic book nerds everywhere. At stands, at autograph booths piling into elevators, fake battling with their friends, I felt out of place in my normalcy. I headed to a booth selling DC merchandise and bought a Batman T-shirt, feeling more comfortable once it was on. I grabbed a schedule from the Information Center.  
There were several interviews with stars of TV shows like Teen Wolf and Grimm which I just never could get into. The one thing on the schedule for that day that caught my eyes was a sneak peek of Avengers 2 at 11 AM. A smile spread across a took of toward the stairs. Once on the Mezzanine level, I headed to the Outdoor Amphitheater, where a large screen and hundreds of seats awaited. It was nearly full of men and women dressed as an assortment of Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor and Captain America, etc.  
I found a few empty seats toward the middle of the amphitheater and sat as far from others as possible. I sat in anticipation, thinking, 'this is the coolest thing I've ever done.' I was just about to find contentment in the the empty seats next to me when someone came rushing up the aisle and sat beside me followed by another man who followed suit on the opposite.  
I couldn't help but glance to my left, to see who had hastily taken up my personal space. I was silently shocked to see it was once again Milo. At that moment he looked over at me, a grin spreading over his face.  
"Hey, it's you again. I'm sorry I knocked you over and rushed off earlier," he began before the quiet jumble of speech around us changed to vibrant applause as the cast of Avengers 2 took to the stage. I too couldn't help but cheer. As I watched the 15 minute sneak peek, I would sometimes glance at Milo, who seemed entirely preoccupied by the screen, from the corner of my eye.  
Internally, I couldn't help but admire him and found my palms to be sweaty from nervousness. When the clip finished before the applause was finished Milo and the man from the right, who I now recognized as Milo's friend Russ, hurried away and out of the amphitheater as if they had no time. I was suddenly inspired to live for the moment. As I left the theater, I began to explore Comic-con without schedule, feeding off the excitement and joy of those surrounding me. I geeked out a few times after seeing moderately famous people in proximity.  
After a few hours, I found my morale lowered significantly. Everything was beginning to remind me of him. A guy ran buy in a Deadpool costume, making my palms sweat, a small child wearing a Jake hat just like his nearly brought me to tears and a teenager in a Metallica T-shirt was like a punch in the gut. I suddenly found myself struggling for air, that aching in my chest, that thought, 'What am I gonna do without him?'  
I tugged at my T-shirt collar attempting to catch my breath, I felt myself swaying on my feet, I needed to be alone for awhile. Sweat began poring down my brow. I headed towards a back exit, which upon going through it, I was relieved to find that it lead to an empty alley way lined with metal trash cans and dumpsters.  
I sat on top of the nearest trash can and lit a cigarette before allowing tears to stream silently down my cheeks. 'This was a stupid idea,' I thought exhaling smoke sharply as a sob tore out my chest, 'thought I could escape my nerdy ex-fiance by running away to Comic con. Genius.' At that moment, someone burst through the exit.  
"That's not what your mom said last night, Russ," Milo said with a laugh before the door closed behind him.  
He turned and looked at me and oddly the first thing he said to me is, "You should quit."  
Quickly wiping away my tears, I uttered, "huh?" He stepped closer looking pointedly at the cigarette before looking me in the face, "are you okay?" I looked him teary-eyed in the face and told him, "honestly, not really."  
His eyes softened and he kneeled down before me.  
"You know, it's weird I've ran into you 3 times today, once literally, I've been coming to Comic con for quite a few years now, it's a big place filled with a lot of people, apparently someone wants me to talk to you, so put that cigarette out and tell me your name," Milo told me expectantly. Shocked by his instruction I hesitated a moment before throwing the cigarette down and stomping on it with my cheap flip flop.  
"I-I'm Abbey," I said shyly holding out my hand feeling my cheeks redden, hoping I didn't appear doe eyed. He grabbed it firmly with both hands and shook it slowly before saying with a toothy smile, "I'm Milo."  
"I know," I admitted, my cheeks flushing, "I've seen a lot of your work." Just then Russ came through the door, "Miles, I'd like to see you say that shit to my mom's face-" He looked from Milo to me a few times with an odd look on his face, "who's your friend?"  
Milo smiled widely at Russ, "this is Abbey, from the amphitheater."  
"Right," Russ said skeptically, "you ready go get some lunch?"  
"Actually, man, I think I'm going to hang back for a while," Milo told him looking at me. Russ stared pointedly at me.  
"I'm Russ," he grunted with a nod.  
"Hi Russ," I squeaked with a small wave.  
"Milo, can I talk to you?" Russ asked him thumbing down the alley. Milo looked confused, "sure, man."  
They walked a bit down the alley way where Russ began to talk in a hushed tone but gestured wildly taking away any mystery that he was warning him away. I stifled a chuckle,'go figure, Milo Ventimiglia for some reason wants to be around me and his best friend disapproves.' The more I thought of it the funnier it became and suddenly a loud giggle escaped from my lips and echoed down the alley way. Milo and Russ looked towards me, Milo looking amused and Russ looking worried, most likely for Milo. 'What the hell am I doing here, right now?" I asked myself internally. I pulled my book bag tighter on my shoulders and got up to leave.  
As I began down the alley way to leave Milo called, "Hey, where ya going?" I stood there awkwardly, I thought I had been dismissed, "I-I dunno..."  
"Come back," he all but demanded waving me toward him. My feet moved automatically and I was soon standing next to him and Russ, who looked like he just drank a glass of sour milk. I stood holding on to the straps of my back pack as if going on a hike, "yes?'  
"Do you want to hang out with me for awhile?" Milo asked, his eyes shining with that same preoccupied look from this morning, but this time accompanied by his crooked grin.  
I laughed, "I'd be crazy not to, wouldn't I?" His smile grew wider still, "see you later, Russ."


	5. Decidely Fate

Comic-con International  
San Diego, California  
1:20 PM

I felt flabbergasted, in what world did shit like this happen? Milo started back toward the door as Russ and I stood apparently feeling the same level of shock.  
"You coming?" Milo asked me, propping the door open with his foot. I nodded quickly and started after him. As we re-entered the general population I struggled to keep up.  
"So, I think it's safe to say Russ was not happy," I assumed as we waded through costumed men and women.  
"Nah, it's nothing against you," he shrugged, slowing down to match my pace, "we've been friends for a long time, he's always trying to watch my back."  
"Do I look like some kind of predator or something?" I asked with a snort before bumping shoulders with a Trekkie. He grinned inwardly.  
"Not any kind I've seen, he's just worried about me getting hurt, he's all, 'Miles, I've seen you like this before, it never ends well.' 'he told me with a chuckle, before we were momentarily disrupted by Wonder Woman asking Milo for an autograph. When we were 'alone' again I asked, "what'd you say to him?" For a moment his cheeks turned pick before he stopped mid-stride, surprising me who took another 3 steps before realizing he'd fallen back. He ran his fingers through his dark hair before grinning crookedly, "I told him, this was different, this was fate." I snorted incredulously.  
"What?" he asked severely as we were bumped to and fro by comic book fans.  
"Fate?" I asked with a laugh, "what about coincidence?"  
"Look, I've been to a lot of Cons," he said seriously, attempting to pull me away from the crowd, "it's hard to find someone when you actually are trying to find them, let alone a complete stranger, bet you by the end of the night you won't see the same face twice." I stuck my hand out, "I'll take that bet." We shook on it before Milo asked asked for my schedule.  
"Speaking of schedules, don't you have shit you have to do?" I asked not entirely sure why I was trying to poke holes in this.  
"I'm on hiatus, right now," he said going over the schedule, "I've got weeks until my next movie starts shooting, so what are you into? We could go to a seminar or a panel or something." I swiped the schedule from his hands.  
"Holy shit, they're finally making that into a movie?" I exclaimed surprisingly loud, attracting many, many eyes. Milo gave me an appraising look before letting out a chuckle, "turning what into a movie?"  
"Umbrella Academy," I told him with a smile, "it's super powered kids who grow into fucked up super powered adults."  
"That's right up my alley," he admitted with a grin, "lead the way and don't forget to watch for familiar faces." The sad truth was by the time we made it to the panel I was too excited to watch for faces, besides who was I to question his idea of fate? Milo practically used me as a battering ram, pushing me through screaming crowd before stopping just short of the barricade. He pushed his was beside me before leaning just centimeters from my ear, "you know, usually I don't do screaming crowds, you're lucky." I felt blood rushing to my cheeks at this sudden intrusion of personal space and his warm breath on my skin. Goose bumps broke out on the back of my neck.  
Just then, Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba stepped on stage, sending the crowd into a total uproar of applause as they took there seats. As the crowd died down, I glanced at Milo, who was looking reflectively back at me. The event moderator introduced both Gerard and Gabriel and gave a bit of background on the comic before beginning the general Q&A, first of which they confirmed that, yes, Paramount had picked up the script for Umbrella Academy. The audience Q&A questions were mostly fans giving casting suggestions, after Gerard for the fourth time remarked that he had no control over cast, it became a bit hard to watch. I nudged Milo with my elbow, he looked at me a glazed look in his eyes.  
"This is getting a bit repetitive, want to grab some food?" I asked thumbing away from the crowd. He nodded enthusiastically.  
"I'm sorry but I thought you'd never ask," he called over the crowd before once again using me to push through the crowd. Eventually, we found ourselves outside.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't know it would be like that," I admitted lighting a cigarette reflexively, "it really should be a good movie." Just as I went to light the cigarette, Milo snapped it down the middle. I looked at him with playful annoyance before spitting the butt out, "okay, I wasn't going to smoke that or anything." He smiled curiously, "so, where to for lunch?"  
"Psh. You're asking me? I've been in San Diego for a day," I admitted with a laugh. Milo stood quietly in thought, his hands in the pockets of his denim jeans. As I watched him, the wind blew, gently rustling his dark hair, his hazel eyes bright in the California lighting, even at 38 he was exquisite. 'Everyone really is more beautiful here. Be careful,' I thought sharply, 'if you're not careful, you could fall.'  
"I've got it," he said suddenly, startling me.  
"Oh, yeah?" I asked focusing my attention on my feet as if I hadn't been staring. He grew quiet as if waiting for my attention, when I peeked up at him, I found him smiling down at me with strange admiration in his gentle gaze. Truth be told it both titillated and terrified me. He appeared lost in thought once more before asking, "ever been to the Hard Rock?"


	6. Hard Times at the Hard Rock

Hard Rock Cafe  
San Diego, California  
1:56 PM

California never ceased to amaze me. I felt awestruck as Milo lead me inside, my eyes bounced around the restaurant as we waited to be seated. The walls were covered in beautiful Rock 'n' Roll memorabilia from all decades, the most gorgeous guitars, Gibson and LesPauls, platinum records and autographed photos of the greats lined every wall. I gazed around my mouth agape as the hostess lead Milo and I to a booth across from the bar. As we sat down Milo looked at me as if gauging my reaction before smiling with satisfaction.  
"Look up," he directed, nodding toward the ceiling. I gasped as I followed his instruction, above us was a beautiful stained glass rotunda, detailing an elk surrounded by roman numerals, endowed by scenes depicting several admirable women decorated with beautiful stained glass flowers.  
My eyes suddenly prickled with tears. I looked back at Milo who appeared to have been enjoying watching as I took it in with fresh eyes. A tear leaked down my cheek before I swiped it away.  
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked before our waitress came with menus.  
After we ordered drinks and she left I told him with a shrug, "I've seen more amazing things in the last day than my entire life."  
"Sometimes, when all that we've seen has been mundane, beauty knocks us off our feet," he told me knowledgeably, his eyes glittering in the fragmented sunlight from above. I nodded, feeling my cheeks grow hot from his gaze.  
I allowed myself a moment to hold his eye contact, as I stared reflectively into him, I saw wisdom and a kindness unlike any other I'd ever know, before the waitress reappeared with our drinks startling me back into reality. Milo ordered a Caesar salad and I, an order of potato skins, then we were alone again, in comfortable silence stealing confused glances at each other.  
"It's occurred to me that I've asked you nothing about yourself," Milo said suddenly as if disgusted with himself, "where are you from?"  
I sighed inwardly, I had known this conversation was coming, it was only natural and yet it felt like an unmeasurable challenge.  
"I-I'm from Indiana," I muttered, before taking a sip of root beer.  
"You said you'd only been here a day, so did you come for Comic-con, or," he trailed off, peering intensely into my face.  
"I, uh, kind of just ran off," I admitted staring at my hands to avoid his scrutinizing look.  
He then asked the Million Dollar Question, attempting nonchalance but not quite being able to keep the curiosity out of his voice, "What are you running from?"  
I pulled the necklace, I'd been trying to forget existed from beneath the collar of my T-shirt. My engagement ring dangled from it, glittering exaggeratedly in the sunlight from the rotunda.  
"Nothing now, I was left the day of my wedding," I told him as I removed the heavy chain, like a weight from my neck and dropped it with a tinny clink, on the table.  
I looked at him, watching for signs of pity or shock but all I saw was sympathy in his hazel eyes.  
"You were left at the alter?" he asked pulling the chain towards him before picking it up, rolling the ring between his fingers.  
I stifled a chuckle.  
"I guess that's a common misconception," I told him a laugh, "I wasn't given courtesy of being humiliated in front of my friends and family, instead I was humiliated in the privacy of a church dressing room."  
"So, why California?" he asked frankly placing the necklace back on the table, "why now?" I contemplated this a moment.  
"It may seem strange but I was laying in a motel in Ohio wondering what the hell I was going to do next, when an advertisement for California came on," I admitted insecure about this revelation, "I knew then I had to come here, it was the only thing that made sense."  
He smiled his crooked smile as he smoothed his dark hair.  
"No," he said with a laugh, "that doesn't sound like fate, at all."  
I laughed too, realizing that he was right, I was lead here, to him for some reason. I was just about to tell him so, when our food arrived.  
We spent the rest of the meal, talking like old friends catching up. I told him about growing up in Indiana with 3 siblings, he told me the various ways his sisters teased him as a kid. I talked to him about the difficulties of having a best friend with a child, he talked about the difficulties of owning a business with ones' immature best friend and the best part of it all was, he never asked me to talk about him.  
When we finished eating we began back towards the Convention, I found myself sweating buckets as we walked by a large group of Star Wars fans mostly wielding light sabers.  
"It's so hot," I groaned, wiping the sweat from my brow.  
He smiled mockingly, "wittle baby gonna melt in the sun?"  
I gave him a skeptical look before turning to the nearest Star Wars fan with a saber, who happened to be dressed like Yoda, "excuse me, can I borrow that?"  
He hesitantly handed me a green light saber. I turned to Milo before pushing the power button on the side, activating a canned whirring noise, making me feel oddly bad ass. I began whacking him with it.  
"No fair," he yelled attempting to grab it from my hands, with a laugh, "a real Jedi doesn't attack an unarmed man."  
He began wrestling me for it as I continued to whack him in the sides and legs. I squealed as he suddenly pushed forward and grabbed me by the waist, before stumbling backward over his own feet and falling flat on top of me, on the sidewalk. I stared up into his face, which was pink with exertion, his hair a mess, the wind gently blowing it back and forth, I could feel his breath on my skin. I was reminded of something hard against my leg.  
I burst out laughing, "is that the light saber or are you just happy to see me?"


	7. Let Yourself Go!

San Diego, California  
Harbor Drive  
3:15 PM

Milo's eyes grew wide.  
"It's the light saber, I swear," he shouted jumping to his feet, light saber in hand.  
I looked around us. Jedi robed fan boys stared from all around us. I felt my face flush in mortification. Milo reached a hand out to me, pulling me to my feet.  
"Here ya go," Milo said to Yoda, as he handed his light saber back to him. We walked a bit down the road before mutually bursting into laughter. I was overcome.  
"Hahaha, their faces!" I exclaimed, my cheeks hurting smiling too much.  
When we made it back inside the Convention Center, Milo said, "We should head to Artist's Alley to see if Russ is there with Mark."  
We headed to the end of the Convention Center, stopping only to take a picture with some hilarious, dancing Storm Troopers.  
"This is the coolest thing, I've ever seen," I told Milo as looks down the rows of hundreds of comic book artists, signing autographs and talking to fans.  
"Hey, there's Russ," Milo said pointing down the Alley, where Russ stood laughing with a bespectacled, old man.  
As we got closer a revelation hit me. I grabbed Milo's sleeve.  
"T-that's Stan Lee," I cried, a smile plastered to my face. He just smiled and pulled me forward.  
As we arrived Stan Lee's face brightened into a smile, "Milo, long time no see."  
Milo smiled his crooked smile.  
"Stan, you look great," Milo told him pulling the man into a friendly hug.  
As they separated Stan's eyes fell on me, "who's this young lady?"  
Milo grinned back at me, "this is my friend, Abbey, this is her first Convention."  
Stan smiled kindly, "is that so, anything interesting happen so far?"  
I smiled shy.  
"Y-you're Stan Lee," I stammered, "you're a Legend. This may just be the most interesting thing that has ever happened to me."  
Milo and Stan laughed, while Russ stood quietly, unsmiling. Stan then reached out to shake my hand, by then my cheeks were on fire.  
"Well, my friend, duty calls," Stan proclaimed, gesturing to the line of fans behind us. We waved to him as we walked back down the Alley.  
"Milo, I gotta take a leak, let's go to the men's room," Russ said, his voice flat.  
"Since when do you need me to chaperone you while you pee?" Milo asked with a laugh.  
"Just come with me," Russ quietly demanded. We made our way to the restrooms, where I stood near a payphone bank, absent-mindlessly tapping my foot.  
After a minute or two, I heard Russ on the other side of the door, "better be careful, introducing that chick to Stan Lee, she might think that you're into her."  
My face flushed as I wondered, 'Why does he dislike me so much?'  
As they began through the door Milo told him, "then she would think right."  
They both stood looking at me from the doorway of the bathroom.  
"So, where to now?" I asked attempting break the awkwardness.  
For the rest of the night we walked around the Convention, Russ in tow. Milo introduced me to several people including Mark Powers the artist who drew Rest. Eventually, we ended up hiding at the Starbucks because a group of Heroes fan girls chased us through the Convention Center, after catching a glimpse of Milo. By that time, it was 7:30 PM.  
Milo, Russ and I sat on bench panting finally having lost the group of women following us.  
"I am way too old for this," Russ groaned, holding his side.  
Milo laughed, "And I'm not?"  
"You work out twice a week," Russ remarked, "the most exercise I've gotten before this was riding the escalator at the mall."  
I chuckled only to receive a reproachful look from Russ. Milo was looking at his phone.  
"Abbey, you said you like Green Day, right?" he asked looking attentively at his phone.  
"Of course," I told him with confusion, "why?"  
Russ was once again looking between the two of us with an odd expression.  
"They're playing at the House of Blues in a half an hour," he revealed, his piercing eyes focused on me.  
"Are you shitting me?" I asked with excitement.  
"I'm definitely not shitting you," he informed me with a laugh, "you wanna go?"  
I jumped up and clapped my hands, "fuck yes!"  
Once again all costumed fans in the vicinity turned to look at me.  
"Sorry!" I yelled, my cheeks flaming as began heading toward the exit.

House Of Blues  
8:45 PM

As we piled out of the car I wasn't too surprised to see a large line of fans beneath the marquee. I was positively bubbly as we stood at the end of the line. Milo was smiling brightly as if channeling my excitement. Russ stood indignant, tapping his foot in impatience. When the line began to move, I eagerly hopped from one foot to the other.  
When we reached the attendant monitoring the door he yelled, "Russ!"  
"Hey, Vince," Russ shouted, smiling for the first time in hours, shaking Vince's hand.  
He whispered something in his ear as Milo and I stood looking at each other with confusion. Vince suddenly laughed heartily and nodded before stepping aside, clapping Russ on the back as he passed.  
Once inside, I was practically bouncing up and down as I looked around the smokey venue. An unknown band played on and the dance floor was alive with inconceivable energy. Russ disappeared to the bar, leaving Milo and I alone.  
I looked into his hazel eyes, "thank you."  
He smiled sweetly before asking with appraisal, "for what?"  
I looked toward my feet shyly, "for showing me a different side of the world and pretty much changing my life."  
I heard him chuckle over the music, "you changed my life, too."  
I looked up at him, with surprise, "I-I changed your life?"  
"You showed me that everything happens for a reason," he told me honestly, "I was beginning to wonder if there any purpose in anything."  
I felt my face turn pink, "I did all that?"  
He placed a hand on my shoulder before saying seriously, "when I see the happiness on your face, I know I was supposed to show you these things and we were supposed to meet."  
Just then the opening act finished their final song, before thanking the crowd after being met with generous applause.  
Milo grabbed my hand and pulled me into the crowd, once again using me as human battering ram, to get close to the front. The audience bounced around with anticipation, pushing Milo and I closer.  
After a few minutes, the crowd burst into exaggerated applause as the curtain rolled back revealing Billie Joe, virile as always, behind the microphone, Mike Dirnt patiently awaiting his first notes and Tre Cool, sitting behind the drums twitching with excitement. I looked to Milo, who was gazing dreamily toward the stage, his face mysteriously handsome in the artificial lights. I cheered along with the crowd for a moment before Billie Joe gestured for the crowd to become quiet.  
"San Diego, you're fucking beautiful," he shouted eagerly, "alright, this one's called 'Let Yourself Go! Uno! Dos! Tre!' " Upon the first notes the crowd instantly began moving as if a singular being.  
As Billie sang the chorus the crowd was a harmony of voices screaming, "Let yourself go! Let yourself go! Let yourself go!"  
I found myself bouncing up and down to the music, singing along at the top of my lungs and looked over to find Milo jumping excitedly along with me. I smiled so widely my cheeks hurt.  
From there they launched straight into 'Oh Love' starting the crowd screaming all over again. In two and a half hours, they had played nearly the entire trilogy of Uno! Dos! and Tre! Milo and I were drenched in sweat.  
"This last one is called 'The Forgotten'," Billie announced to the crowd, wiping the sweat from his brow, "we fucking LOVE you, San Diego!"  
When Jason Freese began playing the first notes of the piano, a hush settled over the crowd and everyone began swaying slowly. I felt a hand touch mine and glanced over to see Milo smiling sweetly at me.  
I slipped my fingers between his, smiling like an idiot, singing out loud with the audience as we swayed, like a gentle wave. Milo gave my hand a squeeze as he sang with me.  
As Billie rang out the last line, "Don't look away from the arms of love," I thought, 'I could fall for him if things keep going at this rate. I need to be careful' When I looked to Milo, he was smiling down at me with admiration, his normal pristine hair disheveled, sweat glistening on his skin. 'I may be fighting a losing battle,' I thought uncertainly as the audience broke apart, heading for the exit, Milo still holding my hand, 'but maybe that's not so bad.'

San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina  
11:45 PM

It was quiet inside the car as Russ parked. I was feeling pretty awkward, I hadn't let go of Milo's hand until I noticed Russ staring reprovingly, even Milo seemed to pick up on it because he didn't question my reasoning.  
"Well, here we are," Russ said roughly, "nice knowing you." Milo turned to me from the passenger seat and gave me an apologetic look.  
"I'm gonna walk her up, Russ," Milo told him simply, "wait here."  
I couldn't hide triumph in my voice as I said, "good night, Russ."  
When we were inside the lobby, he took my hand in his once more. A shiver overtook me as we stepped on to the elevator.  
His smile turned into a look of concern, "you okay?"  
I laughed nervously, hoping my palms weren't sweaty, "I'm fine, I just really hate elevators."  
He smiled his crooked smile, his eyes filled with understanding, "I've got you."  
We stepped out of elevator once it reached my floor and headed down the hallway hand in hand. Once we reached my room, he pulled a pen from his pocket and wrote on the back of my hand. I looked down, it seemed to be a telephone number with an area code I didn't know.  
"What is that?" I asked feeling a bit of an idiot.  
He laughed quietly, "it's my cell number. Call me tomorrow."  
I smiled at him as he let go of my hand and began to walk down the hall.  
"Milo," I called after, following him down the hall.  
He walked back towards me, a confused look on his handsome face, "yeah?"  
I pulled him to me and hugged him, tightly, my head on his chest, "thank you, for everything."  
We looked each other in the eyes, his glittering with emotion as he stroked my hair. He leaned in to kiss me. I pulled away suddenly, my cheeks burning hot. He smiled knowingly.  
I slid my key card into the lock, before opening the door, "good night, Milo."


	8. Slam Your Body Down and Zigazig ah!

San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina  
9:35 AM

_I found myself standing in the corner of a hotel room similar to one I was staying in but empty. I stared blankly forward, fear tickling the back of my neck. I looked down to find I was naked and quickly tried to cover myself.  
"Abbey," two voices called simultaneously.  
I looked up to where the voice where coming from. In each opposite corner stood Milo and Travis. Once again, I became painfully aware of my nudity.  
"Come here," the two demanded.  
I was overcome with confusion.  
"Come here, girl," Travis called making smooching noises.  
"Abbey, come to me," Milo called waving me towards him.  
I had become the proverbial dog, which they were both vying for my attention. I shook my head, in mortification.  
"Abbey, over here," Travis called to me, as if very far away. I began to step toward him only to nearly fall, I found my left ankle shackled to the wall.  
"Abbey, this way," Milo called, his voice distant.  
I took a step towards him before realizing my right ankle had been shackled as well.  
"ABBEY!" they both yelled.  
"What the hell do you want from me?" I cried, falling to my knees.  
"Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want. So tell me what you want, what you really really want. I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want. So tell me what you want, what you really really want. I wanna, I wanna, I wanna ha, I wanna ha, I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah," Travis began singing in a strange tone.  
I shook my head in disbelief.  
"Abbey," Milo called to me his image blurring at the edges, "Wake up."_  
I sat up in bed with a start, my cell phone on the bed side table ringing out 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls. I grabbed it quickly. I flipped it open.  
"Hello," I grumbled into the receiver.  
"Abbey?" a familiar voice asked on the other side of the line.  
"It's Milo," he told me, nervousness in his voice.  
I sat up straighter, trying to wake up, "oh, hey, I didn't remember giving you my number."  
He laughed into the phone.  
"You didn't," he admitted, "I didn't think you were going to call so I kind of looked you up."  
It was I, who laughed this time, "I was going to call, I just hadn't woken up yet."  
He became quiet a moment as if embarrassed before asking, "do you want to go to breakfast with Russ and I? We've got time to kill until the Convention opens today."  
I smiled to myself.  
"Sure," I told him, "where at?"  
"Do you know where Marina Kitchen is?" he asked me, joy replacing the embarrassment in his voice.  
"Yeah," I told him with a laugh, "I'll meet you there in 15."  
Once off the phone, I changed my ring tone to something a bit less haunting. I was annoyed to find that all I had to wear once again were plain black T-shirts. I attempted to make myself presentable before heading out. As I stepped in to the elevator I was surprised to find my fear somewhat assuaged as I remembered the protective way Milo spoke to me and held my hand, the night before.  
I made my way through the lobby, which was filled with tired looking Convention-goers.  
As I headed towards the exit, someone yelled, "Hey!"  
I turned and saw a man dressed as Mario. He waved me over.  
"Yeah?" I asked with confusion.  
He pointed to the front page of the tabloid in his hand, "is this you?"  
The photo showed Milo on top of me on the sidewalk in what appeared to be a compromising position. My face flushed with embarrassment.  
"Yeah," I squeaked, "that's me."  
Mario laughed before yelling, "Tim it's her!"  
Suddenly the lobby burst into whoops and applause. I felt my face burning as I headed toward the exit. The man dressed as Luigi who I assumed was Tim yelled, "you go, girl!" I pushed through the door and headed towards the harbor, tears threatening to crush my demeanor.  
I stood outside the Marina Kitchen for a moment trying to regain my composure. When my breathing returned to normal, I headed inside. I stood inside the door looking for Milo, before heaving a sigh. Russ sat at the far end of the restaurant alone.  
I hesitantly walked over and sat across from him. He sat quietly adding sugar to his coffee.  
"Um, where's Milo?" I asked nervously, avoiding his eyes.  
"He's in the bathroom," he told me, stirring his coffee, "look, I think I owe you an apology."  
I stared a moment in disbelief, "what for?"  
He gave me an odd look, "I've been a total ass."  
I stifled a chuckle, "you haven't been a **total** ass."  
He shook his head, "I have. I disrespected you before I even knew what kind of person you were."  
I couldn't deny that much.  
"Milo likes having you around and he's my best friend," he admitted, before taking a drink of his coffee, "I want him to be happy."  
"Did he put you up to this?" I asked seriously, before taking a sip of water.  
He laughed heartily, "No, but he did tell me, that he tried to kiss you and you didn't let him. I'd say that makes you different from the other women he's fallen for."  
"Fallen for?" I asked nearly spitting out my water.  
Russ slapped a hand over his mouth, "I've said too much."  
I just stared at him, as if saying, 'Really?!' He sighed.  
"Milo falls in love easily, he has a big heart," he admitted, "so don't you hurt him."  
At the moment, I wished I could promise Russ that I'd never hurt Milo the way I'd been hurt but no one could honestly make that promise in this life.  
At that moment Milo reappeared. He took the chair next to me before looking with appraisal from Russ to me. I felt my face reddening.  
"Did I miss something?" he asked, smiling crookedly.  
Russ and I shook our heads a bit too profusely.  
"Just talking about food," Russ told him unconvincingly.  
Confusion filled his hazel eyes, "oh, okay?"  
We sat eating breakfast, in awkward silence when Milo's cell phone began to ring. He looked at us apologetically before answering it.  
"Hello?" he asked.  
He smiled crookedly as who ever it was replied.  
"At the Convention Center?" he asked with a laugh.  
I heard words of assent from the other line.  
"Hell yes," he told them, "Add another to head count for me."  
After he got off the phone, Milo smiled widely before saying, "Kevin Smith is having a party."  
"Like Silent Bob?" I asked with a chuckle.  
He nodded excitedly, "want to go?"  
He had a childlike wonder in his eyes that I couldn't say no to even if I had wanted to.  
"Of course," I assured him, with a toothy smile.  
For the first time since I'd met him, Russ genuinely smiled at me.  
"What time?" he asked Milo, anticipation in his voice.  
"7:30," he told us uncertainly.  
Russ looked disappointed.  
"That's hours from now," he groaned before chugging the rest of his coffee.  
"Well, I've got to do a panel for L.A. Noir," Milo admitted apologetically.  
"I thought you were on hiatus," I told him, my face screwed in a confused expression.  
"I was," he said honestly, "but Jon Bernthal has the flu and they asked me to fill in."  
For the next few hours Milo, Russ and I walked around the Convention Center nerding out and causing shenanigans until Milo headed to his panel, leaving Russ and I to get to know each other a bit.  
"So, you were left the day of your wedding?" he asked as we sat down on a bench, to drink our coffee.  
"Yeah," I told him with slight discomfort, "then I took every penny I had out of the bank and flew here."  
"How long had you and the guy been together?" he asked, before blowing on his coffee, before taking a sip.  
"Eight years," I admitted.  
Russ spit his coffee out, "eight years?!"  
He regained his familiar skeptical look.  
"Don't look at me like that," I told him, handing him a napkin, "it's not as if I chose for things to end the way they did."  
"Eight years, is a long time though," he said his voice gruff, as he wiped coffee off his shirt, "does Milo know?"  
"We've talked about it," I remarked, "he doesn't hold it against me."  
His face softened, "sorry, I just worry about Miles."  
I laughed, thinking of Autumn.  
"I don't blame you," I said with grin, "I have a best friend who would likely behave the same way.  
"Is she hot?" he asked with a chuckle.  
I burst out laughing, "you could say that, but she has a kid."  
"I'm good," he replied with a laugh.

San Diego Convention Center  
Upper Floor  
Ballroom 6F  
7:45 PM

Milo, Russ and I had practically skipped down the hallway of the upper floor as we headed to the party. Outside the door a bouncer stood unsmiling before asking for our names, then let us inside. Once inside the music was blaring, hidden from outside eats thanks to sound proof panels. I looked around the ballroom in awe, the ceiling must have been 25 feet above us.  
I turned to Milo, who was smiling brightly, excitement and joy shining in his hazel eyes. Russ disappeared as he usually did into the large crowds. Milo took my hand once more.  
"Milo!" a familiar voice called, with a slight slur.  
We both turned toward the voice to see Jason Mewes, standing with a beer in hand, looking like he started the party without us.  
Milo squeezed my hand before pulling me toward him.  
"Mewes," Milo yelled before shaking his hand.  
"What's up, sir?" Mewes asked, the alcohol thickening his Jersey accent, "you ready to get fucked up or what?"  
Milo laughed, "I tell you every time, Jason, I don't drink."  
Mewes became distracted and walked away toward the bar in the back before yelling with a laugh, "your loss!"  
Milo chuckled before pulling me toward the bar to find Russ drinking a beer with who else but Andy Samburg.  
"Andy Motherfuckin' Samburg!" Milo yelled letting go of my hand to hug him.  
"Hey, it's you!" Andy called drunkenly smiling when Milo let go of him.  
Russ sat looking amused by this. Milo pushed me forward suddenly.  
"This is my friend Abbey," Milo told him, as I stood blushing at the feeling of his hand on my lower back.  
"Hey, Gabby!" Andy yelled, knocking his shot on to the bar, "want a shot?"  
"I-I don't drink very often," I admitted with a laugh.  
"You should have a shot," Andy told me, before yelling to the bartender, "two more shots of Whiskey!"  
"I don't know if I should," I mumbled, no one seemed to hear me.  
When the bartender sat the shot glasses on the bar, Andy grabbed one and shoved it into my hands.  
I looked to Milo for guidance, only to have him shrug and tell me with a grin and a laugh, "I guess you should have a shot."  
I hesitantly brought it to my lips, before practically throwing the burning liquid down my throat. Andy yelled cries of celebration and Russ chuckled loudly as I groaned from the taste. Milo looked down at me his crooked smile wide, looking impressed. That's all I remember from that night.

San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina  
8:30 AM

I woke to the sun glaring through my window and groaned. My head was pounding, my skin felt sticky and I was wearing the same clothes I had been wearing the night before. As I got up to shut the curtains I realized not only did I not remember how I got home, I didn't remember anything after taking that first shot with Andy. Just then, I tripped and fell over a large object in the middle of the floor.  
"Ouch!" Milo yelled sitting up quickly.  
"Milo?" I asked with shock, "what are you doing here?"  
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before saying groggily, "Russ and me brought you back from the party, last night."  
Then Russ burst from the bathroom before yelling, "there she is!"  
I grabbed my ears before shushing him.  
"Hung over, huh?" he asked sitting on the sofa, before saying with a laugh, "I'd understand why."  
"What are you talking about?" I asked drawing a blank, looking from Milo to Russ in confusion.  
"You really don't remember?" Milo asked seriously.  
I shook my head profusely, forgetting momentarily about my screaming headache.  
"Oh, man," Russ said bursting with an amount of excitement which was nothing but annoying at 8:30 in the morning, "then I have something to show you."  
I looked at Milo with curiosity, but he just nodded toward Russ, wearing a small smile, his hazel eyes tired.  
Russ pulled him cell from his pocket, fiddling with it before shouting, "I've found it!" This earned a shush from both Milo and myself.  
Milo and I threw ourselves on to the sofa next to Russ, who had loaded a Youtube video on his phone. The title read: 'Awesome drunk girl at Comic-con!' I instantly felt my cheeks flush as Russ pressed play.  
The first thing I saw was Andy Samburg and myself drinking shot after shot to the tune of LMFAO. The next part was me absolutely schooling Jason Mewes at beer pong, leaving him ranting angrily off camera about how he was already drunk. The third, last and by far most embarrassing part was a grainy film of me drunkenly dancing the cabbage patch to 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls, to my surprise and embarrassment.  
"This chick is crazy!" Kevin Smith yelled into the camera, over the music.  
Milo appeared on camera smiling madly, covered in sweat as if he'd been dancing, "Yeah, she is! Crazy awesome!"


	9. Stay the Night

San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina  
July 16, 2015  
8:40 AM

I stifled a laugh, my cheeks burning.  
"You were awesome," Russ yelled, piercing my ear drums, "this video has a 500,000 views already."  
"So everyone has seen me make a fool out of myself?" I asked with a gasp.  
"Well," Milo admitted, with a shrug, "yeah, but they loved you."  
I felt entirely idiotic, but perhaps it had worked in my favor in terms of the friends I had now grown oddly attached to.  
I sighed, "so, what do you want to do today?"  
Milo yawned, scratching his dark hair, "the Masquerade is tonight at 7:30."  
I groaned, "I don't feel like walking around until then, I don't feel like doing much of anything, right now."  
Russ rubbed sleep from his eyes, "I've got to head home for awhile and take a shower, I reek of beer."  
Milo suppressed a laugh, "Well, that's what happens when you jump over the bar Dukes of Hazzard style with a bottle of Budweiser in each hand."  
"It would have worked out, too," Russ replied heading toward the door, a tired grin on his face, "if the bartender hadn't been in my way."  
Milo and I burst into laughter as he left the room. When I caught my breath, I ordered breakfast from Room Service and Milo and I ate on the sofa as we flipped through the hotel cable.  
Eventually, we settled on Sandler film, Mr. Deeds after Milo yelled, "that movie is great!" so loudly it nearly sent me into convulsions.  
We lazed on the couch for a few hours, watching films from the past, my head on his shoulder. We were half-way through Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, when Milo sighed. I pulled away from him, looking him in the face. His hazel eyes were filled with unexpected sadness, his forehead wrinkled in frustration.  
I gripped his wrist gently, "what's the matter?"  
He slowly looked me in the eyes, attempting to feign confusion, "I'm good."  
"Milo, I know too much about social cues to believe you," I told him seriously, searching his face for indication.  
His resolve weakened, removing my hand from his wrist, only to hold it in his own.  
"Today is the 16th, right?" he asked, his tone melancholy.  
I quickly checked the date on the cable menu, before nodding.  
He stared momentarily at our hands, his fingers tapping the spaces in between mine, "today's the 2 year anniversary of my father's death."  
My eyes widened, I had no idea.  
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, squeezing his hand supportively.  
He sighed again before looking into my face searchingly, "I honestly had all but forgotten."  
He looked as though he was ashamed of himself and his gaze slipped to the floor.  
I gently nudged his chin up, forcing him to look at me.  
I stared into his tear-rimmed eyes, "let's go see him."  
His eyes widened a bit, "it's 90 miles away."  
I shrugged, not letting up, "that's like what, a half an hour in California?"  
He smirked crookedly, "Are you sure?"  
I nodded profusely, "absolutely."

Santa Ana Cemetery  
2:30 PM

We pulled up after a couple hours of driving in near silence, only stopping at a floral shop, where Milo bought a dozen white roses. Before us, the brick gates loomed, the words 'Santa Ana Cemetery' glowing gold in the afternoon sunlight. Milo parked, before grabbing the bouquet of roses and getting out of the BMW.  
I sprinted to catch up as he passed through the cemetery gates, roses clenched in his left hand. As we stepped through, it was like a different world. A sad, empty world.  
The was grass cut meticulously short, grave stones protruding from the ground in every direction. Some were decorated with wreathes of roses and lilies. Others were abandoned, caked with dirt and worn beyond the point of repair. It seemed to go on this way as far as the eye could see.  
Milo seemed unperturbed by this as he moved as if following a tracking system, roses still dangling in his hand beside him, a stray petal falling behind us occasionally. I took his hand in mine, in attempt to give him strength, but his fingers just dangled weakly in between mine. At last I could see the beacon, so to speak, that he'd been seemingly following this whole time.  
He began towards it with purpose, tears forming in his eyes again. As we reached the large grave stone, he stopped quickly. A wreath of purple flowers already laid at the base.  
"Laurel has already been here," he informed me, his voice thick with the beginnings of tears.  
He stepped forward tracing the words on the Granite stone, with his fingers. It read:  
Peter Anthony Ventimiglia  
1953 - 2013  
"Beloved Father and Husband"  
He placed the now somewhat wilted, white roses at the base, before sitting down in the dirt. He held his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking in an obvious sign of tears. I quickly went to him, throwing my arm around his shoulders.  
He looked me in the eyes, tears sliding relentlessly down his cheeks. I smudged them away with my thumb. I realized though we were both filled with pain, his greatly surpassed mine and maybe it had been the sadness in my eyes that day that spawned this odd friendship between us. I rested my forehead against his, staring into his red-rimmed hazel eyes, willing myself to understand his pain.  
He placed a gentle hand on my cheek before telling me, his voice breaking, "I really miss him."  
I pulled him to me, leaving his head to rest on my shoulder, as I stroked his dark hair, softly crooning, "I know, I know."  
We remained like this for a few minutes, until no new tears fell upon the already soaked shoulder of my T-shirt. He took my hand and stood, a new resolve on his face. We silently left the rows of gravestones and headed back to San Diego.

San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina  
5:03 PM

As we stepped hand in hand into the elevator, Russ appeared at the hotel entrance yelling, "hold the door!"  
Milo wordlessly held the door as Russ ran inside.  
He smiled, saying, "it's you guys."  
He looked from me to Milo's somber face, before pointedly giving me a questioning look. I shrugged, quickly pretending to be preoccupied by a smudge of dirt on the elevator floor. We quietly stepped out as the elevator doors opened to my floor.  
Russ stared at Milo in confusion as I slipped my keycard in the door before letting them inside. I flipped the lights on as Milo and Russ plopped on the couch, Russ asking questions in hushed tones. Milo just stared at him, unmoving. I stood behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at me with appreciation.  
Russ sighed before informing us, "I went ahead and picked up tickets for the Masquerade." He pulled three laminated passes from his shirt pocket, handing one to Milo and I.  
"I had to argue with ticket guy for a half an hour to get these seats," he told us, a smug look on his face.  
I looked uselessly at the ticket number, without recognition, I had no idea whether the seats were good or not.  
Finally, for the first time since the cemetery Milo spoke, "these seats are pretty good."  
Russ smiled with pride before asking, "can we get some food up here? I'm famished."  
I nodded quickly, heading to the kitchen area, to grab a menu off of the fridge. Through the doorway I see Russ begin to whisper to Milo again, to no avail. I thought as I grabbed the hotel phone from the wall, that it was hard to believe that Russ had forgotten.  
Russ then ordered food, sighing deeply when Milo would only point to what he wanted on the menu. Shortly after, as Russ went to the door to receive the food, I gave Milo a questioning look. He smiled gently, before shrugging. Though his thoughts were no clearer, I couldn't help but return his smile as Russ payed and tipped the attendant.  
Milo ate his salad silently as Russ flipped through the cable and I picked at my chicken, stealing glances at Milo, wondering just what was going through his mind. Eventually, Russ theorized that we should leave earlier because the huge lines. Milo and I nodded emphatically before three us took an awkwardly silent elevator ride to the lobby.

San Diego Convention Center  
Outside Ballroom 20  
6:36 PM

There was an air of anticipation surrounding us as we stood at the end of a virtually endless line of convention-goers. The street was filled excited chatter. I found myself bouncing on my heels as if it were contagious. Even Milo, couldn't not smile as a group costumed fanboys near us laughed and carried on, vocally voicing opinion on the costumes of passer-bys.  
After an hour or so, the excitement had nearly began to wither, only to be renewed as the doors opened, causing burst of cheers through out the line. I quickly twirled in joy, before taking Milo's hand as we followed the convention-goers ahead of us.  
When we reached the door, my attention was caught by a large sign on the wall: Absolutely no flash photography! I, for a moment wondered why, before we stepped inside. I then saw rows and rows of costumed characters seated before us and instantly felt underdressed. Stealing a glance at Milo, the feeling was assuaged by his amused grin. Russ then took the lead, Milo and I followed him to the third row, where we shoved past groaning fanboys.  
Once seated I understood why there was no flash photography allowed, as I peered around the ballroom, it occurred to me there were thousands of spectators here just for this event. As I watched people fill in the overflow seating, I felt a sense of guilt for my good fortune, seat wise. Milo's knee bounced in anticipation as Russ excitedly gesticulating whom he thought would receive Best In Show.  
Soon, a hush fell over the crowd as someone lowered the lights. An unseen announcer presented three judges, none of whom I was familiar with but all of which brought a broad grin to Russ's face. I looked to Milo, who was smiling almost serenely. With the finishing of introductions, the announcer called for the first entry, a man wearing a white hat dressed as Finn the human, guiding a golden retriever with it's hair trimmed short to look like Jake the dog.  
The next two hours were mystifying. I now understood why thousands of people flocked here a year, as a woman in an elaborate Queen Amidala costume crossed the stage before us, red jewels sparkling in her headdress. A gasp escaped me as a man dressed as Resident Evil's Wesker stepped on stage, prosthetic, warped limbs and appendages protruding from his clothing, his dark sunglasses glinting under the spotlights. I found myself nearly in tears as a man who was dressed brilliantly as a Big Daddy from Bioshock walked across the stage holding the hand of a little girl dressed convincingly as a Little Sister, yellow contacts, bow and all.  
At about 10, the unseen voice announced that there would be an short intermission while the judges made their final decisions. Nearly, no one moved, though the ballroom filled with talk of awards and costumes. I heard Milo laugh beside me, surprising after seeing the state he'd been in before. He and Russ were playfully arguing who's Spider Man suit had been best. I felt relieved as I watched them banter, as I made eye contact with Russ I could tell he was feeling similarly. After about a half an hour or so the lights dimmed once again, and the unseen voice told us the judges had made their decisions.  
The judges filed on to the stage, a clipboard in each of their hands. From there they began calling off categories followed by their respective winners. Milo cheered loudly as his choice of Spider Man won Best Re-Creation, Russ booing loudly beside him. I was thrilled when the woman dressed as Queen Amidala won Most Beautiful, bowing gracefully, despite all her adornments. Soon, all the categories were awarded, the stage filled with amazing cosplayers.  
Eventually, people began filing out of the ballroom. I found myself still full of energy despite the late hour, as Milo, Russ and I pushed through the crowd.  
Once outside, I twirled, calling, "that was amazing!"  
Milo and Russ laughed, a shared look of amusement on their faces.  
A gentle breeze blew as we headed across the street, the last streaks of sunset fading behind the skyline. As we neared the Marriott, Russ hesitated at the door.  
Milo turned to him, "you go ahead, Russ."  
Russ nodded, giving me a wave before continuing down the street.  
From the lobby, Milo and I stepped into the elevator along with a group of noisy teens dressed as Star Trek characters. Once reaching my floor, Milo stepped out just a bit too eagerly. He took my hand as we started down the hall.  
As I slid my keycard in the door Milo let go of my hand, expecting me to tell him good-bye. I turned looking him in his hazel eyes, thinking that this may be our last night together, when a thought occurred to me.  
"Come in," I told him, pushing the door open.  
He looked surprised as walked inside, flipping the lights on a he went.  
I headed into the kitchen, grabbing the remainder of the wine from the fridge and two tea cups, before unzipping my book bag and pulling out a pad of paper and water color pencils. What better way was there to immortalize the events that changed my life here, than to draw to the catalyst of them all?  
I found Milo on the couch, mild confusion on his face. I sat beside him, popping the cork from the bottle, pouring a bit into each cup. I motioned the second towards him.  
He laughed, "you know I don't drink."  
"Live a little," I told him, before he took the cup from my hands.  
He took a sip before grimacing, "this stuff never tastes any better."  
I laughed, taking a drink and pulling the drawing pad onto my lap.  
"What's that for?" he asked before emptying the tea cup, a drop escaping down his chin.  
I swiped it away with my thumb, "I want to draw you, if that's okay."  
He nodded wordlessly, refilling his glass, taking another drink, before sitting his cup on the table before us. I opened the pad to an empty page, before getting up and adjusting the lights.  
"How do you want me?" he asked with a laugh as I sat back down beside him.  
I smirked removing a black pencil from the box, "do whatever's natural."  
He leaned back against the couch, his arms spread out over the back. I leaned over, removing a piece of hair from behind his ear, feeling his breath against my skin.  
"Good," I told him, scooting back and beginning to work. I began with his handsome face, focusing on his eyes, attempting to capture the glow of goodness within them, before starting on his crooked mouth, dotting his jaw with light stubble. He grinned at me as I compared my art to the real thing. After about 20 minutes, I felt satisfied, as if I had captured the moment as perfectly as possible in such a short amount of time.  
"Done," I told him, a proud smile hurting my cheeks. He sat up quickly, shaking the circulation back into his arms.  
"Can I see?" he asked taking a swig straight from the wine bottle, obviously somewhat affected by it's contents.  
I nodded emphatically. He rested his chin on my shoulder, looking down at my art, before taking it in his hands.  
An incredulous smile took over his face, "I'm impressed."  
"You like it?" I asked skeptically as he resumed staring at the drawing. He was quiet. I stared down a my now black smudged hands in self-conscientiousness. He nudged my chin, as I had done to him earlier.  
His eyes pierced mine, "it's amazing."  
He rested his palm on my cheek, softly. I felt him growing closer. I didn't stop him this time.  
For the first time our lips met, the taste of wine clinging to his, as he pulled me closer. I felt his hand of the small of my back as he kissed my lips gently over and over. In the back of my mind, I felt a sense of guilt, but pushed it away, my hand on Milo's chest.  
Heat rose all over my skin as he pulled my lip ring teasingly with his teeth. Suddenly, I was in his arms as started toward the bed, his lips never leaving mine. In moments, I was looking into his hazel eyes above me, before we clashed again in a kiss.  
I felt daring as I found the buttons of his shirt fumbling with the first one. His tongue trailed my bottom lip, begging for entry, which I granted. My fingers grew quicker, in my passion, relief flooding over me as the last button opened, exposing his bare chest and stomach.  
I pushed his shirt from his shoulders, then running my hands over the muscles in his arms. Impassioned, he broke away, lifting my shirt over my head effortlessly. The moment it was gone, as if he couldn't resist, he kissed me again, his hot breath against my cheek.  
I kissed him breathlessly, stopping only to remove his pants before he returned the favor. We were intertwined, my legs wrapped around his as he kissed me relentlessly. He groaned softly as I nipped his crooked lip with my teeth.  
He sat up, pulling me into his arms, beginning to fumble with the clasp of my bra. Cold fear filled me, stopping me in my tracks. I grabbed his arms, pulling away to look in his eyes, preying he'd understand this change of heart.  
He smiled with sympathy, "if this is all you're ready for, this is all I need." My heart felt like it would explode in my adoration for him, at that moment. I pulled him back to me, our lips colliding. We continued in this fashion for hours, until we were both breathless, our skin sticky with sweat. Eventually, we laid intertwined, as his breathes grew deep with the beginnings of sleep. I sighed, before drifting off, a calm falling over me.

San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina  
8:49 AM

I woke with my head on Milo's muscular chest, with a start. Distantly, I heard banging. I nearly laid my head back down when it occurred to me, that someone was at the door. I gently got out of bed, doing my best not to wake Milo. Sure enough, someone was banging on the door.  
I began opening the door before beginning to hiss, "keep it down, will you? There are people asleep in he-"  
My words choked in my throat, as I stood there in nothing but Milo's button up shirt and my underwear. On the other side of the door stood Travis, a look of shock on his face as he looked me over.  
"Abbey?!"


	10. Stray Heart

San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina

9:16 AM

My first instinct was to slam the door in his face as I followed his tired eyes to the discoloration on my neck. I quickly raised my hand to cover it, stepping outside the room, closing the door over gently.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hissed at him as he stood still dazed by my appearance, though looking worse for wear himself.

"A-Autumn told me you were here," he stuttered, "and I saw you on the internet."

I placed a hand on my hip, "And?"

Guilt took over his round face, his ocean blue eyes widening with sadness.

"I needed to explain myself," he said with surprising boldness, "I needed to fix my mistake."

I scoffed at him, throwing my hands up in exasperation, no longer caring about the hickeys on my neck.

"You've got some nerve," I told him, venom in my voice, "It's too late for that."

He ran a hand through his dark brown hair before bursting, "I was scared okay?!"

I laughed at his excuse, "I was scared of elevators but I've ridden one at least three times a day since I've been here."

This time there was anger in his voice as he stared me in the face, "that's not the same and you know it!"

"That's not the point," I said placing my hand on the doorknob, "and you need to leave, I don't want to hear another word."

I left it at that, going inside and closing the door behind me. I turned to see Milo quite awake, staring at me, his forehead wrinkled with concern as he sat on the bed. I rushed over to him, quietly but profusely apologizing as tears prickled in my eyes.

"Hey," he said to me, taking my hands in his, "don't apologize just tell me what happened."

"It's Travis," I cried, tears freeing themselves on my cheeks, "he's here!"

"In San Diego?" he asked incredulously.

I nodded, "that was him outside."

Without warning Milo was on his feet, in nothing but a pair of black briefs.

Even under the circumstances, tears still stinging, I felt my cheeks burning as I asked, "what are you doing?"

He turned to me, anger glowing in his usually kind eyes, "I'm going to kick his ass."

My breath caught in my throat.

"Milo!" I shouted as he reached the door.

He ran his fingers through his short hair as he looked to me.

I shook my head desperately, "please don't, come lay back down a while."

He sighed before nodding, hesitantly coming back to me.

He slid back under the covers, beckoning me to do the same. I crawled to the top of the bed before slipping in beside him. He smiled crookedly at me, his hazel eyes tired as he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. I began stroking his cheek with the backside of my hand and within minutes his eyes fluttered closed once again.

I lay watching him sleep as one billion conflicting thoughts crossed my mind, such as the fleeting moment of joy I felt when I saw Travis again, along with images of the confusing dream I had about them, the fear of harm coming to either of them. I softly stroked the graying hair at Milo's temples as I thought, 'You're so easy to love, it's almost unfair.' I was reminded of the times when I felt such deep love for Travis; I thought I would die without him. I was stronger now, I had more life experience but yet I had no idea what to do next, with that realization I surrendered to emotional exhaustion.

11:24 AM

I woke with a start the images from my eight years with Travis and these three wonderful days with Milo plaguing my sleep. My stomach growled loudly reacting to the smell of bacon wafting through the sunny room.

"Bacon?" I called out, as I sat up quickly, in bed. Milo turned and laughed at me from the couch.

"Room service," he told me with a grin, "I know how you carnivores love your pig."

I thanked him profusely, heading to the kitchen and grabbing the covered plate off of the counter. I dug in right then realizing just how famished I was having not eaten since the previous evening. I cleared the plate in minutes, dropping it in the sink with a clatter.

I joined Milo on the couch as he scanned the channels. I took this brief moment of calm to bury my face in the crook of his neck, inhaling the smell of aftershave on his skin, knowing it was only a matter of time before conflict arose once again. He planted a kiss on the top of my head before pulling back to look me in the eyes. Preoccupation and worry were evident as he gazed at me unsmiling.

"What are you going to do?" he finally asked.

It was a question I had been asking myself as well.

"I guess the only thing to do is enjoy the last day of Comic-con," I told him, forcing a smile on my face.

He nodded put the worry never left his face as he said, "Russ will be here soon."

I had no doubt that Russ was already aware of the events that had occurred last night and this morning.

As if summoned, there was a knock at the door. Milo reluctantly opened the door it to find Russ looking concerned. As he came inside, I grabbed my book bag from the floor and headed toward the bathroom. Once inside, I began pulling a brush through my curly hair, once finished I paused to look at myself in the mirror thinking, 'Am I a different person than I was before?' I knew within the day a choice would have to be made.

I pulled my last black Hanes T-shirt from the bag, quickly changing and heading back out where I found Milo and Russ whispering back and forth on the couch.

"Secrets don't make friends," I said, startling them both.

Russ gave me the old familiar look of suspicion, while Milo looked apologetic.

I squeezed the bridge of my nose, "let's just go."

For the umpteenth time we stepped on the elevator. Milo took my hand in a comforting way, but despite it as the elevator descended a queasy feeling settled in my stomach, which I didn't know whether to attribute it to the fear of elevators I thought had been assuaged or the inevitable events to come. Russ hummed absently, tapping his toes to the muzak playing in the background. Milo squeezed my hand gently as the elevator opened to the lobby.

It was gratefully empty besides two attendants behind the desk. I breathed a sigh of relief thinking, 'perhaps he's given up and just gone home.' Though as realized my luck wasn't that good as we reached the entrance of the Convention Center. Not far behind us Travis began calling out my name. I pressed a palm to my forehead as I sped up, Milo still holding my hand tightly, a look of recognition in his eyes.

I pushed through the buzzing crowds, Milo still in tow and Russ following just looking thoroughly pissed. I figured the anger was directed at me, rightfully so. I had brought conflict into their lives that had been seemingly perfect before me. Travis never let up as we made it to the end of the Convention Center. In a moment of recognition, I saw the exit which brought me to an alley the fateful day I met Milo four days before.

I shoved through it, Milo panting as we made it outside. I sighed with relief believing I had lost him. I noticed Russ was nowhere to be seen with in the long alley way, so I was only mildly concerned as the door beside us opened.

Travis stepped through, his face red with both anger and exertion. I hardly noticed as Milo's grasp on my hand disappeared as he began toward Travis his fist clenched.

Travis seemed to have a similar intention as he shouted, "you?! Go fucking figure!"

"Me?!" Milo yelled incredulously, "you're the fuck up here."

I stood helplessly as Milo grabbed the collar of Travis's T-shirt, shoving him into the wall knocking down a row of metal garbage cans.

"Why couldn't you just leave her alone?!" Milo screamed at him, fury evident both on his face and in the trembling of his body, "She was fine without you!"

"Why do you even care?" Travis spat back at him, shoving Milo away, nearly causing him to trip over a tipped trash can, "she's nothing to you!"

Milo shook his head, his hazel eyes narrowed in anger. He lunged forward, throwing a right hook hitting Travis in the mouth. Travis howled in anguish before tackling Milo, throwing him to the ground and hitting him in the jaw.

At that moment, the dreams made sense to me. It hit me for the first time; I knew what had to be done. I never had a choice. Fate had brought us together to change both us and our lives.

"STOP!" I shouted at top of my lungs, starting towards them, "Stop it, both of you!"

They both looked almost innocently at me from the ground. As I met them, I pulled them both to their feet by their shirt collars.

"I can't do this," I cried tears streaming down my cheeks, my face burning.

Their eyes softened and they both stepped forward as if to protect me from the other. I stopped them at arm's length. I shook my head with despair.

I first turned to Travis. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him into my arms, crying for a moment into his Nirvana T-shirt, before pushing him back and pecking him on his swollen lips.

"Travis, I will always love you," I told him gazing into his blue eyes, squeezing his hand, trying to find the courage to tell him what I had known all along, "but the moment you left me, it was over, I was never going to be the same and I can't just forget that you decided that you were too afraid to spend your life with me."

I pulled the necklace bearing my engagement ring over my neck, before thrusting it into his hand. Dejection over took his face.

His blue eyes swam with tears, "but I-"

I just shook my head, a sob escaping me.

"I'm sorry but I've got to move on with my life," I told him as he stared down at the ring put on my finger that fateful day 5 years ago, the first tears dripping down his pale cheeks, "I'll never forget those years with you."

It took all I had not to try to comfort him as a look of hurt overtook him and his shoulders wracked with sobs, a drop of blood dripping from his busted lip.

Just then Russ came through the exit, confusion evident on his face.

I looked from him to Milo, who was waiting patiently, a bruise already beginning to bloom on his cheek.

I gazed back to Russ, before mouthing the words, "I'm sorry."

I couldn't keep the unspoken promise. His forehead crinkled before he shook his head in disgust.

I turned to Milo, beckoning him toward me. He obliged, pulling me into his arms. I deeply breathed in his scent knowing this would be the last time I was close enough to do so. I drew his lips to mine, kissing him once last time. I broke away after a second, turning to see Travis still in tears, his pain radiating around me.

"Milo?" I asked, peering deeply into his hazel eyes.

"Yes," he whispered breathlessly.

"You are so easy to love," I admitted stroking his dark hair.

He sighed deeply, before asking, "But?"

"You deserve better," I told him, tears flowing relentless down my cheeks as I placed a hand on his cheek.

I thought I heard his voice break as he cried, "Don't tell me what I deserve!"

I simply shook my head, "you deserve a fresh start, someone without so much baggage."

His hazel eyes swam and I felt a spite for myself that I found extremely painful but necessary.

I forced a laugh, "face it, dear. I'm damaged goods."

Milo shook his head profusely, stealing a glance a Travis, who now sat on the concrete his head in his hands, "I don't care."

I grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Yes you do," I told him gazing up at him, "and someday soon, someone will change your life the way that you've changed mine."

I squeezed his hand once more before stepping away. Russ glared at me before placing his hand on Milo's shoulder protectively.

I stepped away looking over my shoulder to the two men who would each always have a piece of my heart. The two watched me go tearfully, Travis sitting on ground his eyes wide, Milo standing with Russ, a sad longing in his hazel eyes and I adored them both in that moment. Using all the emotional strength I had left, I continued down the alley to the open street before me. I knew now, that I had to go it alone but I would never truly be alone, Travis and Milo's love would last me a lifetime.


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

Sacramento, California

Friday, November 23rd, 2018

9:42 AM

I groaned as I sat up in bed. 'You're getting old,' I thought as I lit a cigarette from my bedside table. Milo's advice never did stick. I dragged myself from beneath the blankets and headed into the kitchen of my tiny apartment to make coffee. As I dumped grounds into the maker there was pounding on my front door.

I was so startled I nearly dropped my can of Folgers. 'Who the hell is here this early?' I asked myself pulling on a pair of pajama pants that were lying on my laundry basket and stamping out my cigarette in the ashtray before heading to the door where the banging had not ceased.

I opened the door to reveal those who had become the most important people in my life.

"Happy birthday!" they shouted, the five of them shoving past me into my cluttered apartment.

I turned around with a smile. They stood grinning back at me: Autumn and Alyx holding a cake with 'Happy Birthday Abbey!' written in green frosting, Travis a broad smile on his face as he held a purple gift bag in hand and Russ and Milo each holding an elaborately wrapped gift. It occurred to me then, I had forgotten my birthday as I thought, 'I really am getting old!'

"You guys didn't have to go to all this trouble for me," I cried tears surprisingly prickling in my eyes.

Autumn sat the cake on the counter before pulling me into a hug, "of course we did it's your birthday."

I pulled back looking them over, Alyx was now up to my shoulders, Milo's hair now salt and pepper as opposed to the deep black color it had been when we met. I looked from him to Travis, tears leaking down my cheeks, before beckoning to them both.

They stepped forward and I pulled them both in to a tight hug, a warm feeling in my chest and they hugged me back. Since that day three years ago, our lives and relationships had changed hugely. Milo was now engaged and Travis had opened his own Chiropractor's office in Anaheim and living with his girlfriend of a year. I had thought that day as Milo and Travis stood bruised and bloodied that it was a shame that things had happened the way they did, because if things had gone differently they would have become great friends and without me in the picture to get between them, they eventually did.

As I let them go, I looked them both in the face with adoration; they had gone from my lovers to two of my best friends.

"Enough emotions!" Russ shouted, "Time for cake and presents."

I laughed as Autumn lit the candles. They burst into 'Happy Birthday,' Travis singing loudly and off-key, smiles plastered on all their faces. I clapped and blew out the candles.

"What'd you wish for, Abbey?" Alyx asked her blonde pigtails bobbing as she bounced on her heels.

"She can't tell," Travis reminded her, "or it won't come true."

She nodded profusely.

"Gimme presents," I demanded playfully.

"Me first," Travis called thrusting the purple bag into my hands.

I pulled the paper from the bag revealing a picture frame. I removed it from the bag only to have fresh tears peak in my eyes. Inside the frame was a photograph taken a few weeks ago of the 6 of us at Disneyland, each of us wearing a pair of Mickey Mouse ears, Milo holding Travis and Russ in a playful headlock as Autumn, Alyx and I stood beside them giant grins on our faces.

I thanked Travis profusely giving him another quick hug.

"Russ you go next," Milo said gesturing to me, his crooked smile wide, "I want to go last."

Russ handed me his gift. I tore the paper from it quickly it to find an unmarked box. Inside it was an adult diaper.

"Really Russ?" I asked with a hearty laugh, "Depends?"

He grinned, nudging me with his elbow, "You're 25 now. It's only a matter of time."

I gave him a punch in the arm before Milo stepped forward, holding a small gift towards me.

I smiled and took it from his hands. As I ripped the wrapping paper away, a gasp escaped me. I held in my hands a comic book, 'Milo Ventimiglia Presents Day Dreamer.' The cover showed a woman being sucked into the dream of a sleeping passenger on the subway; at the bottom it read 'Created by Abbey Frank.'

I threw myself into his arms.

"How did you?" I cried as I pulled back from him.

He grinned his crooked grin and winked, "Someone left it on my desk last week, and it's awesome."

I looked to Russ with a shocked smile. He had been the only one I had shown. He shrugged modestly.

"Russ," I cried running up to hug him, "you big softie!"

"Ah," he said with a shy smile as I let him go, "it was nothing."

"Let's go celebrate!" Travis shouted with excitement in his blue eyes.

I nodded, running off to get dressed. When I returned the five of them stood waiting, joy evident on their faces.

As we left my small apartment, Milo placed an arm around both Travis and me, his hazel eyes glittering before saying, "today is going to be a good day."

And I knew he was right. As we piled into Milo's BMW and drove towards the California sun, I knew my wish had already come true. These people loved me and they were my family and that was all I'd ever need…

The End


End file.
